(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water sterilizing apparatus, a water sterilizing method, a metal ion eluate producing method and metal ion eluate suitable for use in bath tubs, swimming pools, hot spring resort facilities, water tank, vapor sterilizing apparatus, food processing plants, and other facilities where water sterilization is required.
(2) Description of Related Art
In the past, as technology of this type, inventions relating to water purifying apparatuses having a metal ion generating means for generating metal ions in water or an ultraviolet rays sterilizing apparatus wherein an electrochemical generating apparatus of silver ion having a polarity inverting relay ready to work in a circuit for applying DC on the silver positive pole and the silver negative pole by using the silver ion generating means (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Hei 9-187773) has been known.
When a DC voltage is applied on the silver positive pole and the silver negative pole in the electrochemical generating apparatus of silver ion (silver ion generating apparatus) of the above-mentioned water purifying apparatus, silver ions are generated from the silver positive pole, and the silver ions are added to the water that has flowed into the silver ion generating apparatus. The polarity of the positive pole and the negative pole is inverted by the polarity inverting relay at regular intervals to remove the scale that has set on the negative pole and this enables to generate continuously silver ion.
The document mentioned above contains no description that the silver positive pole and the silver negative pole fixed in the silver ion generating apparatus are themselves mobile. And as shown in FIG. 2 of the document, the silver positive pole and the silver negative pole are directly connected with the polarity reversing relay, so it is likely that they are disposed fixedly at predetermined positions within the silver ion generating apparatus. Therefore, the electric poles planted at such predetermined positions are likely to gather scale after a use for a certain period of time resulting in a problem of gradually declining elution effect of silver ion. And the use of a polarity reversing relay for switching the polarity of poles produced only a limited effect of removing scale.